Even while rocking a pair of Birkenstock sandals (not what many would consider the most fashionable footwear) 71-year-old Paul McCartney remains one of the coolest and biggest names in rock and roll. Don’t believe me? Then perhaps you should check out his new video for “Queenie Eye.”Read More

I have to say that when I first heard of Disney greenlighting The Lone Ranger, I had some major questions, in particular why Johnny Depp wasn’t in the lead role and whether action westerns are still a viable and economical avenue to amuse film-goers and generate a profit. Disney invited me to a sneak peek about a month ago and… I was pleasantly surprised. From the close to 20 minutes I saw, it was worth watching. Here is the latest The Lone Ranger featurette called “In the Elements” that should give you a better understanding of what you’ll be paying to see at the box office!Read More

It’s finally here! Tim Burton’s new phantasmagorical Real-3D remake of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a bore. All that eye-popping colorful imagery was just eye candy to sidetrack us from focusing on the anemic script adaptation. Even though it is one of Burton’s most beautiful films, it is not his best. This goes to show you that story is everything. The acting performances were vacuous and the entertainment value was surprisingly subpar. Will kids like it? Yeah sure, kids like almost anything that looks like a video game.

Burton’s adaptation centers around Alice (Mia Wasikowska), a young british teenager who falls down a tree hole and rediscovers all the marvels of a surreal place called Wonderland.

There is something to be said about the director’s need to create a movie that has been filmed so many times by so many people in so many countries. Does he think his will be the definitive one? Disney might argue that. Burton is a remake master and there is a major flaw with that method of filmmaking – you are always going against the original, therefore your version will most likely always be weaker.

Alice in Wonderland is not funny or charming but a bit fatuous and insipid. It drags in various places especially in the beginning. Much of this tediousness is due to the bad acting of the female protagonist Mia Wasikowska. Talk about needing some acting classes. She was neither convincing nor surprised at anything, but rather seemed arrogant and spoiled. Mr. Eccentric himself, Johnny Depp, couldn’t hit the magical and funny strides of his predecessor Captain Jack Sparrow from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ The rest of the cast was mediocre at best, so was the whole movie.

On some high notes, the cinematography is outstanding, kudos to Dariusz Wolski for hitting a home run. The 3D experience was very fun, but any 3D film that comes out after Avatar is going to pale in comparison. Nevertheless, for those of you that rarely see three dimensional movies, it’s a trip and a half. The great moments are few and the yawning moments are plenty. If you think that the 3D scenes and the colorful visuals will be enough to amuse you, think again. The glasses will start to weigh on you and the english accent will begin to annoy you. That’s what happens when a movie you think is going to be great turns out be a dud!

Universal, the studio behind Martin Scorsese’s recently announced Frank Sinatra biopic, has put Johnny Depp at the top of its wish list of actors to play Ol’ Blue Eyes, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Scorsese had reportedly been eyeing longtime collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed) for the lead role.

But now that the Universal-produced period-heist picture Public Enemies, starring Depp and Christian Bale, looks like a potential winner, the studio is eager to line up Depp’s next high-profile project.

Emir Kusturica, a renowned director, is slowly gathering collaborators for his new film about the legendary revolutionary Pancho Villa, with a working title “Seven friends of Pancho Villa and a woman with six fingers”. The acting crew currently including Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz could soon be joined by the great Hollywood star Johnny Depp. Kusturica is soon leaving to Puerto Rico to negotiate with Depp in order to renew their collaboration after 18 years from shooting of the film “Arizona Dream.”

Kusturica spent last weekend in Venice at the wedding of the Mexican actress Salma Hayek and the French multimillionaire Francois-Henri Pinault. On this occasion, he met Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz who will have roles in his film about Pancho Villa. Shooting is planned to start until the end of this year. The script is written by Kusturica’s regular collaborator Goradan Mihic, but it is based on “The Friends of Pancho Villa”, James Carlos Blake’s fictional account of Pancho Villa’s life from the point of view of his lieutenant with a lot of true details from the Mexican Revolution.

Kusturica has been fascinated by this powerful figure from his students’ days. “Pancho Villa is a man with an idea of justice, equality and anti-imperialism. Reasons for shooting this film are coming from the inside, as a strong feeling to show his life,” Kusturica has recently said for “Blic” and added that the film will be shot in several locations including Spain, Mexico and Serbia (Mokra Gora). Considering the fact that the film will unites reality and fiction, it is understandable why Kusturica decided to choose Johnny Depp. Their film from 1991 “Arizona Dream” gained great success and it was awarded by the “Silver Bear” in Berlin.

“Emir is not a typical director. He is more of an ethereal one. Working with him is my best collaboration so far. I would even jump from the Eiffel Tour for him,” Johnny Depp once described his collaboration with our famous director.

The latest rumor hitting the high seas — MTV UK reports that Zac Efron has signed on to star in Pirates of the Caribbean 4, for the prime sum of 6 million pounds — a deal that would also glue him to another HSM sequel. But rumor control is already in the works. MTV, stateside, reports that this all came from The National Enquirer, and that there’s no truth to the story. They talked to Efron, who says the rumors aren’t true, although he’d definitely be interested. Gee, ya think?

Whoever cooked up this rumor at least thought it out — Zac might not be interested in more HSM, but I bet he’d agree to more for the chance to star in a huge Disney feature that reaches beyond the teen girls and allows him to act alongside Depp. And from the studio’s side, Sparrow’s last male rival couldn’t hold a torch to Johnny, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney did it again.

Orlando Bloom might have been one heck of a Legolas, but I just hated him in Pirates. His charisma, or lack thereof, was no match for Depp, and to give Johnny another star that can’t give him a run for his money … that would be a shame. This franchise’s best bet: focus on Sparrow with a few co-stars who can rival Depp’s charisma and chemistry. Any suggestions?